A thoughtful starting point for adults questioning autism.
Many adults come to this page with a quiet, sometimes long-held question: Could I be autistic? For some, the question emerges after years of feeling internally different, socially out of sync, or chronically overwhelmed without a clear explanation. For others, it arises after learning more about how autism can look in verbally fluent adults, women, and gender-diverse people whose traits were often overlooked earlier in life.
This page is designed as a gentle starting place for adults who are specifically curious about autism. You are not expected to question ASD here, and you do not need to explore anything beyond what feels relevant to you right now.
It is important to name upfront that autism screeners are not diagnostic tools. They cannot determine whether you are autistic. Instead, they help identify whether your current and lifelong patterns of communication, sensory processing, emotional experience, and social understanding resemble those reported by adults who later pursue a comprehensive autism evaluation. Many people find this process validating or clarifying, even when results feel ambiguous.
The RAADS-14 is a brief self-report autism screener developed for adults. It focuses on lifelong experiences related to social relatedness, communication style, cognitive flexibility, sensory sensitivity, and emotional experience. Because the questions emphasize internal experience as well as outward behavior, many late-identified autistic adults find that the RAADS-14 captures aspects of their inner world that were never previously reflected in childhood assessments.
A commonly used cutoff score suggests that a full adult autism evaluation may be appropriate. Importantly, scoring below cutoff does not rule out autism. Masking, learned social rules, trauma-related adaptations, and high levels of intellectual or social compensation can all influence screener results. In comprehensive evaluations, RAADS-14 responses are considered alongside in-depth interviews and developmental history rather than interpreted in isolation.
If autistic traits feel like a possible explanation for long-standing patterns in how you relate, process sensations, or experience being in the world, you are welcome to complete the RAADS-14 below as a self-exploration tool.
Confidentiality Notice About this Screening Tool
Please note that your responses to the screener below are not recorded, stored, or saved. This tool is provided for informational and self-reflection purposes only. Your privacy is important, and you may complete the screener without concern that your answers will be retained.
